Yet the thought of light leaving those beautiful green eyes, the thought of the blood draining from her face, doesn’t let me.
I’m not letting her go so easily, though. I’ll stay in close proximity, close enough to control the risk that comes with letting a potential enemy live.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Artem’s number. “Balcony. Now.” I hang up before he can reply.
Artem’s already on the balcony when I arrive, and Mikhail’s right beside him. The bastard’s grinning like he just slipped his dick into some whore’s ass.
“Hey, man.”
My jaw ticks. If he weren’t my cousin, I’d have had a tooth or two pulled from his mouth for addressing me that way. He knows I hate it, and looking at the way his eyes light up with mischief, I know the asshole’s trying to piss me off on purpose.
Mikhail’s the bratva’s enforcer, the only other person I trust besides Artem. Maybe it’s a bratva thing, but the fucker can stab four men to death while wearing his deceptive smile.
He says it’s because of some shit about being a predator and all. He’s one fucked up motherfucker. And so am I.
I stride past him. “Why are you here?”
He shrugs casually and joins me at the railing. His brown eyes look darker than usual tonight. “I heard some shit about you bringing the girl to your home. Came to see for myself.”
Of course. I knew it’d be something stupid. “The prisoner,” I say, correcting him.
“What’s the difference?”
My gaze flicks to Artem, who’s watching us quietly while leaning against the wall across from us, then back to Mikhail. “I can show you the difference if you want me to.”
My annoying cousin throws his hand up. He knows I don’t bluff. Showing him would mean us getting into a fight and him going home with a bloody face, because despite being the enforcer, he knows I always win.
“I’ll pass,” he says. “What’s up?”
I glance at Artem. “I need all the information you can find on the girl.”
He straightens up from the wall, nodding. “This includes…?”
“Her age. Family. Work history.” I pause and peer at him through my narrowed eyes. “Everything you can find on her.”
She looks no older than twenty-one, so I doubt there’s much to find out about her, but I need a thorough background check to confirm that I’m not making stupid decisions based on the way my chest constricts when I’m around her.
I hate that feeling.
Artem nods. “Understood.”
Mikhail’s gaze bounces between both of us. “So where do I come in?”
I furrow my brows, giving my cousin a death stare. “I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a way you can make yourself useful.”
A sardonic chuckle rumbles from his chest. “You know you wouldn’t be able to handle the business without me.”
He’s right.
Mikhail and Artem have both made my work in the bratva easier. With Artem I can easily testify to his usefulness, but with Mikhail…the bastard’s already arrogant as fuck. The last thing I want to do is stroke his ego even further.
“You wish.” I’m about to leave the balcony when the thought of how to put Mikhail to use crosses my mind. “The girl being there last night doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Someone could’ve leaked our operation.”
Mikhail’s expression turns grim. He thinks for a moment. “You know what that means. Don’t you?”
Before I can answer, Artem chimes in. “It’s possible we have a mole in the bratva. We need to find the traitor before we incur more losses.”
Mikhail nods slowly in agreement, rubbing his fingers together. “You believe someone sent the girl.”
